


Minister Lupin

by phoenix316



Series: How it should have been [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama, Gen, Sequel, surprise character - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-17 07:34:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29963046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phoenix316/pseuds/phoenix316
Summary: Remus Lupin, Minister for Magic. Possibly the most improbable thing to happen in the history of Wizarding Britain. How did it happen? Set following the Battle of Hogwarts and is AU from Half-Blood Prince onwards concerning Remus' fate. I thought it only fitting to start posting this on Remus Lupin's birthday. So much potential in that character wasted.
Relationships: Remus Lupin/Original Female Character(s)
Series: How it should have been [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2203788
Comments: 3
Kudos: 5





	1. Considerations

**Author's Note:**

> This story is a sequel to 'Werewolves and Serpents'. While you can jump in to this and have it make sense, it will make more sense if you are familiar with that story. You will understand how Remus and the OFC came to have a relationship, though this story does focus on his POV for the most part. This story is highly unique in that most of it came to me in a dream.
> 
> The short version: Set during The Order of the Phoenix, Auror Wendy Westin is invited to join the Order of the Phoenix by Kingsley Shacklebolt. She is assigned Remus Lupin as her partner. They don't get along well at first because she does not like or trust werewolves. Remus isn't sure what to think because she was a Slytherin and at one time best friend of Bellatrix Lestrange, and she and Sirius never got along. They eventually got over stupid prejudices and grew to love each other, and agreed to marry by the end of that story.

Remus Lupin sat at his desk, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. This was the first quiet moment he had had in hours. Though if he were to be honest, it was the first quiet moment he had had in about two months. That had been the fateful day when Kingsley Shacklebolt had come by his house to have a rather serious discussion.

* * *

"Kingsley! How good to see you? How is everything at the Ministry?" Remus had asked.

"It's going very well. And that's part of why I'm here," Kingsley replied as he took the proffered seat.

"Oh?" Remus was confused. "Can I offer you something to drink?"

"Perhaps some brandy," Kingsley replied and waited until Remus handed him his glass. "Is Wendy around?"

"No. I'm afraid she had some business to take care of at the Foundation."

"That might be for the best." Kingsley took a sip of his drink. "I'm going to be stepping down as Minister."

"No!" Remus was aghast. Kingsley had done a wonderful job the last two years in the aftermath of the war with the Death Eaters and Voldemort.

"It's time. I stepped up because I had to, because we needed law and order returned, but now that they have… We need something more. Something that I don't have in me. It's time for me to return to Magical Law Enforcement. Someone else needs to continue the rebuilding," Kingsley said knowingly as he arched an eyebrow.

"Me?" Remus asked skeptically. Yes, he and Wendy had built the Lupin-Westin Foundation for Lycanthropy and had stepped up when the Ministry had refused resources to try to integrate his fellow werewolves into society, to provide them with Wolfsbane, education, job training and job placement, but he had always felt it had been far more due to her effort than his.

Kingsley leaned forward in his seat. "We need someone like you. Some who is bright, someone who is compassionate, someone who can look out for the least of us, someone who can make us whole."

"But I'm barely accepted!" Remus protested.

"You are more accepted than you know," Kingsley offered.

"Maybe, but that's not me. That's Wendy who has done all the work," Remus opined.

"Nonsense. I have heard you give speeches to plead with the Ministry, to work to convince werewolves to trust you, to trust your foundation. That's not all Wendy. That's you. We need someone like you," Kingsley said in a tone of voice that indicated he was not going to accept no for an answer.

"They won't ever elect someone like me," Remus objected. He couldn't believe what Kingsley was telling him.

"You can convince them. I've seen the numbers. You have made a difference. While at first it was just Wendy's company hiring Lycanthropes, it has expanded. By your actions, people are beginning to accept those like you," Kingsley countered.

"Enough to elect me Minister? I think not." Remus could not believe that Kingsley had suggested this. It was utter madness, wasn't it?

Kingsley set his glass down and rose to his feet. "Think about it. Think about how much has changed in the last few years. I'm going to announce I'm stepping down on Monday."

Remus was in too much shock to see Kingsley out. The idea was ludicrous. No one was going to elect a werewolf as Minister for Magic, were they? He thought back over the last two years. The first three months had been a whirlwind of stabilizing wizarding society, doing what could be done to divert Muggle attention from what had happened, holding trials for the surviving Death Eaters. He had tried to get help for his fellow lycnathropes from the Ministry, and while Kingsley was sympathetic, he had been blunt with Remus that there were far more urgent needs given how small a percentage of the population lycanthropes were and how great the damage wreaked by the Death Eaters had been, the hundreds of lives lost and families upended.

Remus had been disappointed and had tried not to be angry, but he had hoped the fact that others like him had followed Voldemort might serve as a catalyst for the Ministry to finally do right by his kind. Wendy had sensed his frustration and had floated the idea of the two of them using her money to build a foundation that would do for lycanthopes what the Ministry should have been doing all along.

The foundation had started with hiring potions brewers who could make the Wolfsbane Potion and a public relations team that started an education campaign to work on both a werewolf acceptance campaign, but also an outreach program to the werewolves themselves, something that Remus was well suited to do after Dumbledore had asked him to infiltrate the community.

It had started off slowly, but by November he felt they had reached about half the community and had them regularly taking the Wolfsbane potion. Safe areas were created for those who wished to transform in private. Wendy had used the leverage she had gained in the business community following her removal as an Auror to hold fundraisers and find people willing to hire lycanthropes. Slowly, he had found himself opening up at these events, taking over as the main speaker, especially as Wendy's pregnancy advanced. He was still upset that she had waited until after the battle at Hogwarts to tell him, but she had told him that she wanted him to concentrate on his mission with the werewolves and hadn't wanted to distract him.

By the time she gave birth to twins in October, he had fully taken over as the face of the foundation. Their education campaign was working and people were beginning to understand how important it was treat lycanthropes no differently from any other witch or wizard, that the Wolfsbane Potion rendered them harmless.

He realized that for the last year and a half, his life _had_ changed, the wizarding world had changed. He was well respected and well liked, something he was sure he owed in part to Harry, who had also spoken out as part of the education campaign, along with several other of his former students who had risen to prominence in the fight to destroy Voldemort. Was Kingsley right? Would they elect him?

"Remus, why are you sitting in the dark?" Wendy interrupted as she entered the drawing room and lit the lamps with a wave of her hand.

"What?" he asked, momentarily confused. "Oh, Wendy, you’re home."

She gave him a sideways glance. "Yes, I am. The question is, are you?"

"I'm sorry. I was lost in thought."

She sat down beside him. "About what?" she asked, her voice full of concern.

"Do you think I'm well respected?" He had no idea how to go about broaching this subject with her.

"Odd question, but yes, I would say that you are. You've worked hard to see that people change the way they look at your kind. People no longer see through you, they see you and seek you out." After a rather uncomfortable silence, she cautiously asked, "Why do you ask?"

"Kingsley was by earlier and told me that he's going to be stepping down as Minister next week."

"I can't say I'm surprised. I've gotten the impression he was doing it more out of duty than an actual desire to hold the office. Why was he telling you?" she asked suspiciously. 

"He suggested I run," Remus said bluntly.

"I see," Wendy replied flatly.

When she didn't say anything else, he asked, "Do you think it's a bad idea?"

"I honestly don't know. It's not something I had ever contemplated. Had you?"

He shook his head. "No. I've been focused on the foundation, trying to reach the last few werewolves. Do you think I'd be suited to the job?"

She put her hand on his leg. "I think you would be smashing."

He arched an eyebrow at her statement. "Really?"

"Absolutely. You are fair and compassionate, two things we need in a leader. Kingsley was the right wizard to restore order, but what's needed now is something more, something to try to heal some of the lasting bitterness. I think you could provide that something."

"Surely someone else would be better suited." He still had a hard time believing his bid would be taken seriously.

"You shouldn't doubt yourself. I thought we had gotten past that."

"We had, for the foundation. This is… bigger!" He was confused about what he should do about Kingsley’s suggestion.

"You've done a wonderful job there, and I think you would do a wonderful job as Minister."

"But would people vote for me? Inviting me to parties and donating to the foundation, well, that's different." He leaned back against the sofa and ran his hand through his hair. He could feel the seeds of doubt creeping in. This was exactly what he had been contemplating when she had returned home. "And so much of the foundation has been you," he added quietly.

She shook her head. "In the beginning yes, but you grew into your role and made it your own."

"And what of the foundation? If I do stand for election and win, what happens to it?" He was looking for any excuse to not run, to keep life as it was, a comfortable life that he had never imagined would be his.

"There is a good staff there, and I can help oversee things," she patted her swollen stomach, "though it will become more difficult in a few more months, but at least part time."

"That's the other thing. I want to be there for my family. The twins will be two in October and our new little one will be here before the summer is over." He placed his hand over hers, hoping to feel a kick.

"You would not be the only father working a job with potentially long hours, but I'm sure that won't be every day. And it's not like I suffer from a lack of help. We have Cappa and April has not indicated she is interested in leaving her job as nanny."

He sighed and replied, "I know."

"You're looking for a reason not to run, aren't you?" she asked knowingly.

"I don't know. Maybe. What if I lose?" This thought had been consuming him.

"Then life goes on. It's not as though the losing candidate gets vaporized," she said reassuringly.

"What if I win?" he asked quietly. This was the even bigger fear. While Kingsley felt he was up to the job. While Wendy seemed to think the same, he had his doubts.

Wendy removed her hand from under his and placed it on his cheek and looked warmly into his eyes. "You'll be brilliant, that's what will happen." She then leaned forward to give him a gentle kiss.

He leaned his forehead against hers. "You think I should do it?" he asked quietly.

"Why not? What do you have to lose?"

He thought about her words. What did he have to lose? "You're right. What do I have to lose?"

"And I imagine that's why Kingsley came over today, to give you time to prepare some sort of platform so that you can announce your intentions shortly after he announces his. He wanted to give you a head start."

"Is that a good thing?" As an outsider, he had never really involved himself in politics since none of them seemed to want to do anything for him. Though there were plenty who had wanted to make it worse.

"I think so. People will realize he must have confided in you and that he thinks you are a worthy successor even if he doesn't come out and directly say as much."

"And I suppose I have a few days to consider this, don't I?"

"You do. Now, I should go check on the children before dinner."

"Is it that late already?" He had completely lost track of time.

"Nearly seven, so yes."

"I'll come with you," he offered.

* * *

Monday morning Remus was lying awake in bed, restlessly trying to find elusive sleep, having been up most of the night. He and Wendy had talked several times over the weekend, but mostly he had been running scenarios through his mind, trying to find one that told him this was an utterly horrible idea. He hadn't.

When it was finally a reasonable hour, he got up and dressed. While he sat at the breakfast table, he wasn't really eating his food and was just sipping on tea.

Wendy walked into the room carrying Hope. "You were up early."

"Honestly, I couldn't really sleep," he replied as he held his arms out for his daughter.

"Have you made a decision?" Wendy asked as she took her seat and poured tea.

"I'm going to do it," he replied as he broke his toast into small pieces to give to Hope.

Wendy smiled broadly. "I think that is a wise decision. You'll be brilliant."

"You're acting as though I've already won." He still wasn't sure what he thought about that.

"You won't win if you don't think you can. Have you decided how you will announce it?"

"It depends on what time Kingsley announces his intention to step down. If it's not too late in the day, I intend to do so this afternoon, otherwise tomorrow morning."

"Well, I hope for your sake you can do so this afternoon and then perhaps get some sleep tonight."

"Does it show?" he asked, concerned that he might look overly tired.

"Only because I know you so well. And I could tell you weren't asleep when I got up in the night."

"You couldn't sleep either?" he asked.

Wendy placed her hand on her belly. "Babies always seem to like playing in the middle of the night. At least it's just one this time. Did you want me there when you make your announcement?"

This was one thing he hadn't contemplated. "What do you think?"

She took a bite of fruit as she contemplated his question. "It might be a good idea. It will serve to remind people that you are husband and a father, that you are just like them."

"Except I'm a werewolf," he added quietly.

"And we have spent the last two years trying to convince people that the affliction does not define the person. I think the image of you having a normal life will be good. If the twins weren't so rambunctious, I would have recommended having them there, but I think they would be more distraction than help."

Remus looked at the squirming child on his lap who was trying to get ahold of his hot tea and was forced to agree. "I definitely think you are right, there. I'm going to take her back up to the nursery and play with them a little while before I head to the foundation. I'll let you enjoy a peaceful breakfast."

"Thank you," Wendy replied.

* * *

Remus read through the paper on the desk. It had been amended numerous times, but he felt he finally had it how he wanted. Given the number of line outs and arrows, he decided it would be a good idea to create a clean copy, one that was easy to read. Once that was done, he called Andrew Jones into his office. Andrew had been one of the first people the Lupin-Westin Foundation for Lycanthropes had hired. His brother had been bitten by a werewolf about five years before Voldemort rose to power, and Andrew had seen first hand how the way the Ministry dealt with werewolves and allowed prejudices to continue had affected his brother and driven him to join up with Voldemort. Unfortunately, his brother had been killed at the Battle of Hogwarts, but Andrew wanted to ensure that no other family would have to endure what his had.

"You wanted to see me, Remus?" Andrew asked when he entered.

"Yes. Please have a seat." Remus waved his wand and conjured a tea set. "Tea?"

"Yes, please. Two sugars," Andrew replied.

After Remus had poured out and taken a sip, he set his cup down. "You've been an invaluable asset to the foundation, and I think you are ready for more responsibility."

"Are you stepping down?" Andrew asked curiously.

"It's a possibility I'm considering." He was trying to decide how far to confide in Andrew since it was mid-morning, and he hadn't heard any news about Kingsley's announcement. He was sure that news would spread rather quickly. "I tell you this in the strictest confidence. As you know, I am good friends with Minister Shacklebolt. Due to that friendship, he informed me last week that he was planning on stepping down and returning to Magical Law Enforcement. He told me because he felt I would be a worthy successor. After spending the weekend contemplating it, I have decided he was correct, and I will be announcing my intention to seek his office either this afternoon or tomorrow morning. Obviously I won't be able to be involved in the foundation to the degree I have while running for office, and if I am elected, I clearly won't be able to be involved at all. Wendy intends to take on a larger role, but with the baby due at end of summer, it will limit her involvement. We talked about it and think that you are more than capable of the day to day operations with Wendy giving the approval for new expenditures and projects, but overall she would be very hands off, much in the way she handles her business ventures."

Andrew's tea cup had frozen on the way to his lips. After a few long seconds, he set his cup and saucer down. "Wow! That was not what I expected."

Remus chuckled. "I doubt anyone will. We trust you with this. We have seen your hard work, and how you truly care about the witches and wizards we are helping. I know that you will continue to fight hard. Now, if I'm elected, I can't promise that much will change in regards to this foundation’s relationship with the government. I think what we have now works because the foundation is private and has no formal connection to the Ministry. Many of my kind have become overly suspicious of the Ministry after decades of mistreatment." He could see a concerned look on Andrew's face. "What is it?"

"I know we had to work hard to make contact with and earn the trust of those like you. A part of me fears that you becoming Minister might backfire on what progress we have made with them. That they might fear the foundation becoming part of the Ministry."

Remus had had those exact concerns and it was the primary reason he knew that he would leave the foundation independent, though try to increase the funding they received from the Ministry to at least cover the brewing of the Wolfsbane Potion. "That's not my intention. Why don't you see if you can arrange a meeting: just them and me. No reporters, no outsiders where I will tell them my intentions and listen to their concerns. I know that we have several who have come for help who were never documented by the Ministry, and I don't intend to change that. I understand the reason for the registry, but perhaps it's time for it to go away since nothing good will come from its existence."

"I'll reach out and try to set something up for Wednesday. It'll be in the evening so as many as possible can attend," Andrew offered.

"That will be fine."

There was a knock at Remus' door. "Enter," he responded.

Moira Brown, his assistant, stuck her head in the door. "Mr. Lupin, you asked to be informed if any major news was announced today. Well, Mr. Shacklebolt has announced he intends to step down as Minister on August eleventh with an election held on the tenth."

"Thank you, Mrs. Brown." He rose, walked over to his desk, picked up a folded piece of paper on his desk, and held it out to her. "If you can please follow the directions in here."

"Yes, sir," she replied as she crossed the room to retrieve the paper.

Once they were alone again, Andrew said. "You're really going to do it?"

Remus was starting to feel confident even though the butterflies in his stomach were growing larger. "I am. I think I'm the right wizard for the job." He said the last as much for himself as for Andrew. 

"Well, then, I guess I'm your wizard to run the foundation, aren't I?" Andrew said after a prolonged silence.

"Indeed you are. I'll address the staff tomorrow morning so they understand what the new dynamic will be here. And I'll give you a chance to address them as well."

"Thank you. Good luck with your announcement," Andrew said as he rose and offered Remus his hand.

Remus leaned forward for the handshake. "Thank you."

Once he was alone, he sat behind his desk, leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. There was no turning back now. Come four in the afternoon, he would be announcing his intention to run for Minister for Magic. This would ensure that news of it would make the evening news broadcast on the Wizarding Wireless. It would also allow him time to get home and hear what the first impressions to his candidacy were.

* * *

Shortly before four there was a soft knock on his door. "Come in," he called out.

Wendy entered carrying a snack tray. "I know you may not feel up to it, but you should have something to eat before you make your announcement. It wouldn't do for you to pass out in the middle of it."

He considered the tray of crackers, cheese and fruit. "No, but bringing this up might be just as bad." He sat next to her on the sofa as she placed the tray on the table.

"You'll be fine. Now, please, at least have a few crackers to try to settle your stomach." She helped herself to some of the fruit.

He managed to eat a few crackers, but only because Wendy was keeping an eye on him. When there was a knock at his door, he jumped to his feet.

Wendy slowly rose to her feet and smoothed her skirt. "Let's go," she said as she put her hand in his.

He squeezed her hand, drawing strength from her presence beside him.

When he opened the door to his office, Mrs. Brown said, "They are waiting for you in the atrium."

"Thank you, Mrs. Brown."

"What's this about?" she asked curiously.

"Why don't you come down and see?" he offered.

The three of them entered the lift and Wendy gave him a quick once over, picking off a bit of lint and trying to smooth his hair. "You look perfect," she said quietly.


	2. Chapter 2

Remus took a deep breath before the lift doors opened. With Wendy at his side, he proceeded to the podium which had been set up. Wendy moved behind his right shoulder, giving him space to be the center of attention. He briefly surveyed the small crowd of about a half dozen reporters and accompanying photographers. He then pulled his speech out of his robes, unfolded it, and placed it on the podium, though he knew he had it nearly memorized by now.

"Good afternoon. Thank you all for joining me as I know it has been a very eventful day with Minister for Magic Kinglsey Shacklebolt announcing he will be stepping down in August. He has done a marvelous job over the last two years. He told me that he was stepping down because the Wizarding World is entering a new phase, a phase that requires a different sort of leader. I have invited all of you here today to tell you that I believe I am that leader. We have rooted out the Death Eaters, dealt with the legacy of Voldemort's cohorts taking over the Ministry of Magic. What we need now is to work on making people whole, to not just finish the physical rebuilding, but our spiritual rebuilding.

"Already great strides have been made, but there is still more to be done. Just as I have led this foundation and worked to improve the lives of those inflicted with lycanthropy, I will lead Britain to improve the lives of other marginalized groups. We are stronger together. I will be a strong and compassionate leader, one who has experienced hardship and emerged stronger. One who understands what it takes to make things right, to make things whole.

"As for this foundation, it's mission is not over. While I have been the public face, there are many hard-working witches and wizards who have brought our ideas to fruition. They will continue on after I step down as it's leader. The very capable Andrew Jones will assume leadership of the day-to-day operations of this foundation. He is incredibly dedicated to the cause of re-integration and equality and will carry on the work that this foundation is doing.

"And I have learned many lessons over the last almost two years. I have learned to listen, to understand what problems and difficulties people have. I have learned to analyze those situations and search for a solution. And it's worked. We have a robust job training program, one that should be repeated on a larger scale. We have learned to work with businesses to ensure that people are training for the right jobs. We have worked with people who wanted to start their own businesses, something that is still needed. There are still far too many empty store fronts, far too many goods that are being imported because our supply cannot keep up with the demand. If elected Minister for Magic, I intend to make that one of my top priorities. I intend to travel Britain, listen to people, learn what you want from your Minister for Magic, learn what you want the Ministry to do for you. I want to work for you.

"As I listen and hear your concerns, I will unveil more of my platform. It will take time to finish rebuilding, but I have the know how to lead us through the rebuilding, emerging stronger on the other side. I look forward to getting to know you and leading you into a new time of prosperity as the next Minister for Magic. Thank you."

He was just about to pick up his speech when a voice in the crowd called out, "Mr. Lupin?"

He had hoped that there would not be questions, but he knew that it was inevitable. He recognized his questioner as the lead reporter from the _Daily Prophet_. "Yes, Mr. White?"

"How do you think your affliction will affect your ability to be Minister?" Artemis White asked pointedly.

Remus had known this would come up and had purposefully decided to leave it out of his speech. "Not at all. It has in no way affected my ability to run this foundation. The Wolfsbane Potion renders me completely lucid during my transformation. And this foundation is continuing to research improvements that we hope can one day in the near future prevent transformation completely."

"Do you really think what you have done here is analogous to what the Wizarding World needs? I hardly think we are as bad off as the werewolf community."

Remus gave a small chuckle. "As a whole, no, but there are many people who lost their livelihoods, who saw the companies they worked for destroyed or closed as leadership was removed due to ties with Voldemort, people who have lost their homes. While not completely analogous, it has given me a great path of understanding on how to help people. Kingsley did a fantastic job restoring law and order, the first course of action we had to take. Now that that has happened, I intend to use what I have learned from a life of hardship, from working with those who have suffered, and from becoming a father to help those still in need. I understand the needs of the downtrodden, the needs of parents, the needs of those in the business community."

"How will these new programs be paid for?" shouted out another reporter.

"Unfortunately, I don't have access to the Ministry budget. I do know there were a great deal of reparations paid by Voldemort's strongest supporters, but I cannot speak to the funds that remain and how they are allocated. While there may be temporary pain, getting more business open and more people back to work will increase revenue, so the more quickly we can enact these programs and get people through them, the sooner they can begin paying for themselves. It may mean that people may not have immediate access to help, but may have to wait a brief period of time, but I will work with leaders in the business community to develop a workable path forward. I'm sure that anyone who owns an empty storefront would be willing to deal with a few months of limited or no rent while a business grows to profitability rather than have it continue to sit empty." Remus could tell that there was much he was going to have to learn, and quickly, if these were to be the sorts of questions he would be taking.

"Do you intend to have the Ministry take control of this foundation?"

"I do not. This foundation has built a good relationship with the lycanthrope community because it is not part of the Ministry. I will ensure it remains that way. As Minister I would not demand information from this foundation about anyone seeking assistance here. I would ensure that funding is provided for the production of the Wolfsbane Potion, as the Ministry should have done from the moment the potion was discovered to be effective at allowing lycanthropes to maintain their human mind while in wolf form. Any other financial aid to this foundation will be reviewed separately. Minister Shacklebolt has already done a wonderful job ensuring legal equality and that job and housing discrimination become a thing of the past. I intend to finish wiping away the remaining stigmas against lycanthropes."

"By getting elected!" shouted someone from the back and everyone laughed.

"Exactly," Remus replied jovially. "I am the wizard for the job. Now thank you for your questions and I'm sure you have more. Over the next few days, I'll establish an office where you can set up appointments for interviews, and a travel schedule will be devised and passed to your news organizations." Wendy stepped up to his side, and he put his arm around her shoulder as she slid hers around his waist. "Again, thank you all for your time."

Wendy leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, whispering softly, "Well done."

The both turned to the crowd and smiled, waiting for the inevitable camera clicks, giving them a few moments before turning towards the lift.

Once they were in the office and the door closed, Remus looked at Wendy and asked in disbelief, "I just did it, didn't I?"

Wendy smiled broadly. "You did and I think it went quite well. Your speech was a good starting point, and I think you did quite well answering the questions."

"I expected the first one, but clearly there is a lot I need to learn." He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a deep kiss. "Thank you for supporting me in this."

"Of course. I think this is where you are meant to be."

* * *

Remus arrived at the hollow where the lycanthrope community was congregating shortly after six in the evening. It was in a remote area where many of them had transformed in years past. He climbed up on a tree stump to be better seen. "Welcome. Thank you all for coming. I know what you heard Monday might be concerning, that some of you will think that I was not being truthful about keeping the foundation separate from the Ministry, about keeping the information the foundation has from the Ministry. I wanted you to hear it from me, that it will. In fact, I believe it is time to do away with the registry completely. No good has ever come from it. All it has done is served to keep us down.

"Wendy will keep her mostly hands off approach to the foundation, but she will ensure that there is funding for research and education. I do intend to have the Ministry pay for the potion, as it should have done for the last decade, but that will be all.

"Andrew Jones, whom many of you know, will take over running the foundation. While not one of us, he is the most capable person at the foundation."

"Why not have one of us run it?" called out someone from the crowd.

"Andrew has been there since the beginning. He understands everything about the foundation. If one of you would like to apply as his deputy, you are of course free to do so, and I would encourage one of you to do it. One of our kind should be involved in the upper-level decisions the foundation is making. So who will it be? Who will step up to be the new deputy?" When no one said anything, Remus continued. "I take it that answers your question. It has become our nature to hide in the shadows, to keep the nature of our affliction secret. I was terrified at the idea of building the foundation, of becoming its public face, but I overcame those fears. I overcame them to the point that I am now running for Minister for Magic. I don't know about any of you, but I never imagined one of our kind would ever do such a thing."

"But what guarantees do we have that you won't give information over the Ministry if you are elected?"

"You have my word. The word of a man who encouraged all of you to come forth and partake of the Wolfsbane Potion. The word of a man who said he would help find jobs for those like me. How many of you have your current job because of the foundation?" he asked pointedly.

While no one raised a hand, there was a lot of muttering of assent.

"I have given you my word that I will never make the foundation give information on any individual or group of individuals. The only information the Ministry will ever receive is how many doses of Wolfsbane potion are needed. They will never be involved in its distribution. And in case anyone thinks I might change my mind, I'll remind you that Wendy will be more than happy to ensure that I keep my word. We have fought too hard for what we have now to let the Ministry get involved and ruin it. And look, if I'm Minister for Magic, who is going to compel me to give the information to the Ministry anyway?"

A laugh spread through the crowd.

"What happens is this is the perfect opportunity, to go out, to get publicity, to prove that none of us pose a threat anymore, that we are capable of living mostly normal lives, that there is nothing we can't do. This should help remove those final nagging doubts. Don't get me wrong, I don't expect us to be universally accepted the minute the election's over should I prevail. I know that there are still a great many who see us as less than human, but over time they will be confronted with the fact that I live a life very much like theirs. That like them I have hopes and dreams. That I have a loving family I want to be able to provide for. I will make it so that they can't ignore us or pretend we don't exist anymore.

"Now, tell me your thoughts, your concerns, ask me questions."

Remus spent the next hour and a half with the community, trying to reassure them that he would keep their best interests at heart, that he would do nothing to out anyone in the community. By the time he departed to head home, he felt that he had the support of most of the community. There would always be those who were suspicious of anything having to do with the government, but he felt that most believed he would honor his word.

* * *

The next few weeks were a blur and Remus did his best to visit at least one wizarding community a day. He generally gave a short speech followed by time speaking with local residents. From time to time he would take questions from the inevitable gaggle of reporters following him around, but he preferred to take questions in interviews where he was talking one on one and a clear train of thought was being followed rather than the scattershot method you got from the group of reporters shouting questions at you.

So far the reports in the press were generally neutral. The letters to the editor on the other hand… At least the editor of the _Daily Prophet_ was publishing both for and against letters. Two others had joined the race for Minister, Stella Smythe, a career bureaucrat from the Department of International Magical Cooperation, and Honus Reading, someone no one was taking seriously as he was a bit of a conspiracy theorist who seemed more interested in saying why Remus was ill-suited to be Minister rather than outlining any sort of platform for why he should be elected.

Unfortunately, _The Looking Glass_ was being far less objective. While they outwardly supported Smythe, they seemed to have no problems featuring Reading's baseless accusations about how unfit Remus was to be Minister. While his first interview given in the early days of his campaign had been fairly objective, the situation had deteriorated. Now he was sitting at the desk in the library contemplating refilling his glass in the wake of his second interview with a _Looking Glass_ reporter. He had known that refusing it would definitely hurt his cause, but he was unsure how much the interview would help.

Wendy came in and saw him looking dejected. "I take it the interview didn't go well?" she asked as she took a seat on the sofa.

Remus looked up from his glass. "I'm still not sure. It started off well enough, the usual questions about what I intend to do as Minister, what my top priorities are. Then… well, it got weird?"

"How so?"

He decided to refill his glass and then joined Wendy on the sofa. "He brought up Honus Reading. Well, not specifically, but his idiotic ideas. And it was probably a bad idea to do the interview today since it is full moon tonight. But I had hoped to perhaps demonstrate how little effect lycanthropy has on my life." Remus lifted his glass and took a sip of the brandy as he recalled the moment the interview went off the rails.

* * *

"We all know of your affliction," Charles Woodward began.

Remus interrupted, "Lycanthropy." He found that forcing them to name it seemed to make them uncomfortable.

"Lycanthropy," Charles parroted. "And there is of course some concern about that."

"I've actually heard very little concern. I lead a normal life and have for quite some time. As do most who are also infected. That has been the purpose of the foundation, a mission it has pursued quite successfully."

"But the danger…"

Remus cut him off. "There is no danger. In the thirty-five years since I was bitten, I have never attacked another in my wolf form. Since the formation of the foundation, there has only been one recorded werewolf attack in Britain and there have been none in the last 14 months. I taught at Hogwarts without incident." While he knew these statements were not all strictly true, no official record existed to prove otherwise.

"I understand that, but people are concerned…"

Remus interrupted again trying hard to control his anger, but knowing he was failing, "People are concerned because your publication has been spreading the misinformation put out by Honus Reading." He pointed an accusatory finger at Charles. "And I am not aware that he has any first-hand knowledge of lycanthropy. As far as I know, he does not have as a close friend or relative afflicted. I assure you, if I were a danger, I would not be leading a normal life. I would not be married and raising children. I would not have headed the foundation. The real danger is the spreading of myths and outright lies rather than referencing the copious material that very foundation has made available as part of its education mission. As a news outlet, I would have thought that your publication would use due diligence and ensure that what you are reporting is factual unless it's contained in the opinion section." He paused for a moment. "Now, since this interview seems to be devolving into conspiracy theories, I think it's over."

After several long seconds, Charles closed his notepad and quietly left the office.

* * *

Remus looked at Wendy. "I lost my temper when he started line of questioning parroting Reading's myths on how dangerous werewolves are and how concerned people are about electing me."

Wendy put her hand on his knee. "You didn't say anything too bad, did you?"

He shook his head. "I don't think so, but it depends on how he spins it. I guess the good news is that I restrained myself from physically throwing him out of the house."

"Well, there is that," Wendy replied, some levity in her voice. "I can always Transfigure him into a flobberworm for you," she offered.

"You do specialize in that, don't you?" He smiled affectionately at her.

"Just say the word."

He wrapped his arms around her, drawing strength form her. It was times like this when he felt that he should just give up, that it wasn't worth what he was going through. But then he reminded himself he was going through it in part so that others would not have to endure what he had endured.

* * *

Remus thought back to how long and difficult the campaign had seemed. While most people had been cordial in public, as the campaigning drew on and election day loomed, that changed. Honus Reading's rhetoric became more vitriolic. While he only had a small amount of support, only about 10% of the people polled indicated they would vote for Reading, people were becoming more inclined to confront Remus about his lycanthropy, especially when he started pulling ahead of Smythe in the polling.

But he knew that one of the keys to his victory had actually been Wendy. He had been scheduled to give a speech in Diagon Alley and was going to The Leaky Cauldron to meet with a reporter from _Witch Weekly_ who was going to interview the two of them when he was attacked. Unfortunately his attacker had failed to remember that Wendy had been an Auror, and she quickly subdued him before he could do any more harm. She also administered aid for the curse Remus had been hit with.

She had accompanied him to St. Mungo's, and once she was sure he was going to make a full recovery, she had returned to Diagon Alley and made an impassioned speech, one he had read a few days later in _The Daily Prophet_. He knew that her speech has played a large role in his winning the election.

* * *

_Today's speech by candidate Remus Lupin, saw a major change. Shortly before he was scheduled to speak, Mr. Lupin was attacked by an unknown assailant. More details provided in a separate article. He is expected to fully recover and his wife, Wendy Lupin, instead addressed the crowd._

_“A little over an hour ago, my husband, Remus Lupin, was attacked. For no reason. Thankfully the healers say he will recover and the perpetrator has been captured. But I have to ask all of you, are you comfortable with this? Are you comfortable with unprovoked attacks on a husband, a father of young children? And why? Because he suffers from lycanthropy? Something that has been rendered harmless?_

_“Remus Lupin is a good man, an amazing father. He has been out among you, asked you about what is most important to you, what concerns you most. He has tried to understand you. He has empathized with you. He is preparing to be your Minister for Magic. Are we going to tolerate people who tried to kill him? Who tried to deny my children of their father? Is this who we are?_

_“In Remus Lupin, you have a candidate who will fight for everyone. Who wants everyone in the wizarding world to have a chance to succeed. Don't we all want to succeed? Don't we all want our children to have better lives than we had? Because that is what Remus is fighting for. Already he has made that dream come true for many. And he wants to help the rest of you achieve that dream. Is that what you are opposed to? Are you opposed to more shops opening? Are you opposed to more small manufacturing companies opening? Because Remus is not. He fully supports the small entrepreneur, unlike those who would filter more business to those who are already rich._

_“I know that my children will grow up proud of their father. But more than that, I want them to grow up with their father. And if that is to happen, we need to turn our backs on those who are stuck in the past. We need to move forward, forward to a society where all witches and wizards are welcome. Not just those who think within a narrow mindset._

_“This sort of behavior, this sort of prejudice cannot stand and must be called out. It must be eradicated. Remus knows this and he was attacked because of it. We have a chance to make a statement in the international wizarding community and voting for Remus is the best way to make that happen."_

Remus set the paper down after noticing they had not only included his picture, but one of her giving her impassioned plea. "You really said that?"

"It was a pretty accurate account, I suppose. I hadn't actually planned on speaking, but it seemed the right thing to do since there was a crowd assembled. I just spoke from the heart."

"It was very well done. Thank you." He was sure that her speech was far more powerful than his prepared remarks.

"I won't abide anyone hurting my family. I have to say that hopefully they will think twice since you are married to a former Auror."

"Though one who should take care not to overexert herself," he admonished lightly.

"Casting a few spells is hardly overexerting myself," she said defensively.

"I know. I just want you to be careful. I would hate for anything to happen you or the baby."

* * *

The night of the election, Remus and Wendy sat nervously in the drawing room, listening attentively to the wireless. They had been joined by Molly and Arthur Weasley and Harry and Ginny Potter, the closest either of them had to family, since even with her brother dead, Wendy had not reconciled with her sister-in-law, who had made it clear that Wendy was still to have no contact with Andorra, something that would likely be changing soon as Andorra was now an adult and had finished her education and Wendy had sent her a letter before Andorra had graduated Durmstrang, but so far they had received no reply. Also present were a handful of the senior members of his campaign and their partners.

The announcer had been giving regional tallies and Arthur was keeping track of them on paper. Remus was far too nervous to do arithmetic. He was leaning forward in his chair with his elbows on his knees, hands pressed together with his head leaning against them and he was rocking back and forth.

Wendy put her hand on his back. "Would you like something to calm your nerves?" she asked quietly.

Remus realized what he was doing and forced himself to stop. "No. I want to be clear-headed for this."

Wendy turned and looked to Arthur, "How is it going?"

Arthur looked down at his tally sheet. "It's hard to say. London, Edinburgh and Cardiff haven't reported in yet. Remus and Smythe have been running pretty close most places, though she has a substantial lead in Glasgow."

"She's from there," Remus supplied.

"Right," said Arthur. "Looks like she has about 1300 votes and you have a little under 1100. Surprisingly Reading has about 200."

"I'm not surprised," muttered Remus.

"I would have thought after the attack that would have lost him some supporters," Molly said.

Remus shook his head. "A few, but it would have only solidified most of them behind him. He wasn't quite anti-werewolf, but about as close to it as you can get. There were always a few of them on hand to heckle me."

"Hold on," Arthur interrupted as he heard the radio announcer say something about Cardiff and other Welsh districts. He scribbled frantically with his pencil.

Remus was far too nervous to do mental arithmetic. 

"You've pulled closer," Arthur said. "I'd say you are within 75."

As if to confirm Arthur's calculations, the announcer said, "Here are the current totals. Remus Lupin: 2477. Honus Reading: 375. Stella Smythe: 2540. So far all districts in Wales have reported. Most of the small districts have reported and we are waiting on tallies from London and Edinburgh. We don't expect those tallies for at least another half an hour."

Wendy struggled to her feet and held her hand out to Remus. "Come on," she said gently.

"To where?" asked a slightly confused Remus.

"To get you out of the house for a short walk." She turned to Arthur and Molly. "We'll be back in about twenty minutes."

"We're going for a walk now?" Remus asked as she led him out the door.

She looped her arm in his. "Yes. It'll be at least half an hour before we know anything about London and Edinburgh and I'm tired of watching your nervous ticks. You were getting pretty unbearable."

He laughed softly, "I was, wasn't I? I think the night air is just what I need." They walked in silence for a few minutes. "You are okay with this, aren't you?"

"I've told you I am. I think you will be brilliant."

"You think I'm going to win?" He knew that there were still quite a few votes to be counted and that he wasn't that far behind, but he was still behind.

"Of course I do. But win or lose, it won't change how much I love you."

"I'm very glad to hear that. Something tells me that no matter what, this may be one of the last quiet moments we get for a while."

She patted her stomach. "I think you might be right."

"And I wouldn't have it any other way." He checked his watch. "I think it's about time to head home."

When they returned home, Remus was about to ask if there had been any news, but Molly shushed him as soon as she saw them. Listening to the announcer, Remus learned that with only London remaining, he was ahead by 27 votes. He suddenly felt the blood rush from his head and his knees felt week. Thankfully Wendy noticed and quickly led him to a seat.

Wendy conjured a glass of water for him. "I think you should drink this, slowly."

"I'm ahead?" he asked quietly when he found his voice.

Wendy smiled warmly at him. "You are, my darling. Now we just wait for London to report."

The next ten minutes was filled with a rather uncomfortable silence. Harry and Arthur were chatting quietly, but they were all leaving Remus alone. Wendy laced her fingers in his while they waited.

Once again, the music was interrupted by the announcer. _"Witches and Wizards, here it is. The moment you have been waiting for. We have just received the vote tally from London, the final district to report. Two thousand, two hundred and forty two for Remus Lupin. One hundred and twenty six for Honus Reading."_ Remus slammed his eyes shut. This was mental math he could do and he knew that as long as Smythe got less than 2269 votes, he would be the next Minister for Magic. _"And finally, one thousand…"_

The room erupted in a cheer and Wendy threw her arms around him and no one heard what the rest of the vote total was. "Congratulations, Remus. You are the next Minister for Magic," Wendy said quietly before gently pulling him to his feet.

He received hugs of congratulations from all and Arthur popped a bottle of Champagne in celebration.

* * *

Remus' reminiscing was interrupted by a knock on his door. His assistant Marie popped her head into his office. "Minister, the department heads have assembled in the conference room and are waiting for you.

'Minister.' He still had a hard time believing that was his new title. "I'll be right there." He stood and smoothed his robes, giving himself a quick glance in the mirror. He stood up tall and summoned his confidence. He had earned this. He had earned the trust of a majority of voters in the wizarding world. He was the Minister for Magic.


	3. Chapter 3

Remus returned home later than he would have liked. After meeting with the heads of the departments, which had taken longer than he had anticipated, he had spent much of the afternoon with Marie as she had explained the administrative side of being Minister for Magic. And his day wasn't over. As luck would have it, his first day in office coincided with full moon. While he still had to meet with the Muggle Prime Minister, he and Kingsley had chosen Wednesday evening. He assumed Wendy was upstairs in the nursery when she didn't come greet him and headed up to see her. When he got upstairs, he leaned against the door frame and watched Wendy charm toys for the twins to play with and he smiled.

Finally Wendy noticed him watching them. "Good evening, Minister," she said playfully.

"I've had quite enough of that for the day." He crossed over to where she was sitting and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"So other than that, how was it?" She had left after the ceremony where he formally became the Minister for Magic so that he could get to work.

He picked up John and used his wand to animate a hippogriff toy that flew just out of reach of the small boy. "There is far more to learn than I anticipated. Hopefully by the end of the week I will have enough understanding that I don't have to bother Marie for mundane things. Meeting with the department heads went well enough. Tomorrow I'll be finalizing a few directives and we can start implementing some of the policies. The good thing is that Kingsley and I have a lot of similarities, so it's not like there are a lot of policies to be overturned."

"Well, you have that going for you. Dinner should be ready soon. I was going to feed the twins first and see if we could get them to sleep as I've given April the night off."

"Well, if that's the case, perhaps I should change into something more casual," he said as he booped his son on the nose.

"They aren't that bad," Wendy responded playfully as she used her wand to bring the high chairs closer to her.

* * *

Once dinner was over, Wendy led Remus down to the cellar where his final dose of Wolfsbane Potion waited for him. He sighed as he picked up the goblet. He hated the taste of the potion, but it was far better than the alternative. "Cheers," he said before downing the goblet. Once done, he set the goblet back on the work table and retired to his safe room. While he knew that the potion rendered him harmless, he wanted to take this precaution to keep his family safe.

Wendy gave him a gentle kiss. "I'll see you in the morning with breakfast."

"Thank you. I'm sorry you have to do this."

"Remus, stop apologizing. We've been doing this for almost seven years and I don't mind. And it's gotten better."

He knew that now that Wendy had offered serious monetary prizes for major improvements to the Wolfsbane Potion and curing lycanthropy, that it had indeed gotten better. The final dose of the potion was now laced with a potion that made recovery from transformation much easier. That and a special revivifying potion had been developed to be taken the morning after. What it meant was a much quicker recovery from transformation. Normally by mid-day he felt nearly normal, a feat that had previously taken a couple of days. "I'll see you in the morning, my love."

"I love you, too," Wendy replied before closing and locking the door.

Remus sighed as he took in his surroundings for the night. There was a small lamp high on the wall, heavily shielded that provided minimal light. On the floor was a large cushion, where he would curl up and spend the night. Near the door was a pitcher of water. Once again, he went through the same ritual he did every full moon. He would disrobe, fold his clothes and place them near the door. Then he would sit on the cushion and wait for the inevitable.

* * *

The following morning, Remus had to deal with the usual disorientation that accompanied his transformation. He then crawled across the room and drank water straight from the pitcher. Once he felt some level of his strength return, he did his best to dress. Even though it was simply trousers and jumper, it was still incredibly taxing.

It wasn't long before Wendy unlocked the door and handed him his Revivifying Potion. She offered him her hand, and he declined. "I'll be fine," he insisted.

"Honestly, Remus, let me help you. Just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean I can't help." Once he was standing, she asked, "Ready to get some breakfast?"

"Give me a moment," he replied as he leaned against the wall. After a few moments he started to feel the effects of the Revivifying Potion. "I'm ready," he said and took his cane from Wendy. While he hated using it, it did make things easier.

The one perk of being Minister was that he could Floo directly to his office. While not overly fond of Floo travel, it was the safest method after the full moon. Though after a hearty breakfast, he had to admit he was feeling much better.

Shortly after his arrival, Marie entered his office. "Good morning, Minister. Here is your schedule for the day." She handed him a piece of parchment and then deposited a small stack of documents on his desk. "And these need to be reviewed and signed. Just part of the formality of assuming the office."

"Thank you, Marie." He eyed the stack and it reminded him of having to grade essays at Hogwarts. Glancing at his schedule, he saw that he only had a few meetings. Of course he had asked for tours of the various departments to be postponed until the end of the week, ensuring he would be physically up to the task.

"Can I get you some tea?" she asked.

"Thank you, that would be wonderful," he replied. As she departed, he decided he might as well deal with the documents first and get them out of the way. Thankfully it was as Marie had said and much of it was mere formality. Letters designating the heads of departments and such. Unfortunately, he did not get to finish going through them before the first unscheduled visitor arrived. Something told him he should get used to the unexpected, just as Kingsley had warned him when they spoke briefly before the ceremony.

By the end of the week, Remus felt he had hit his stride. He had set some rules with Marie on when he would allow unscheduled visits and from who. His meeting with the Muggle Prime Minister had gone about as well as could be expected. Kingsley had given him some advice on how to introduce himself to a new Prime Minister as apparently Muggle Prime Ministers felt it was great fun to not warn their successors about the existence of the Wizarding World. He was working with the various department heads to enact some of his campaign promises, especially the one making it easier for small businesses to get started. There were bigger changes he wanted to make, but they were going involve somewhat major changes to the budget, and he was still working to untangle the finances and determine exactly what had become of the money paid to the Ministry in reparations. 

When he returned home on Friday evening, he finally felt like he was starting to make a difference. It was still odd for him to hear people refer to him as Minister, but he was growing used to it. He saw Wendy in the library, sitting at the desk working on correspondence. He sat on the corner of the desk next to her and said, "I was thinking we should go out to dinner this evening, celebrate the fact I survived the first week."

She put down her quill and leaned back in the chair. "Feeling that good about the week?"

He smiled at her. "Indeed I am. I have started the ball rolling on several projects and next week I meet with the French and Belgian Ministers to discuss our current trade agreements. I'll be meeting there. I assume that you won't be up for anything formal for a few months."

"Probably not, but I am definitely up for dinner with you. Just let me change into something more suitable."

* * *

After an enjoyable dinner at one of the nicer restaurants in Diagon Alley, where it had taken half the meal for Remus to be able to ignore the whispers he could hear coming from the other tables thanks to his heightened hearing, they had returned home and cuddled before the fire in the drawing room before retiring to bed once he could tell Wendy was starting to fall asleep in his arms.

Remus lay on his side, arm draped over her with his hand resting on her belly. He had thought she had drifted off to sleep when she spoke.

"You aren't having regrets about having run for Minister, are you?"

"Not major ones. I knew the transition wouldn't be easy, that there would be things I would have to learn because I was never employed at the Ministry. You taught me some, but it is far more involved than I had anticipated."

"But you're glad you did it?" she asked.

He considered her question a few seconds before answering. "I am. You and Kingsley were right that I was the right person for the job. I can see what I want to do, but getting there will be difficult, but I think some of the others are starting to see reason."

"You aren't facing any… difficulty, are you?" she asked tentatively.

He knew she was referring to whether or not anyone was holding his condition against him. "Not really. I've noticed one or two who are wary of me, but I think Kingsley did a good job educating them. If it becomes a problem, they will quickly find themselves replaced. There is no room for that."

She placed her hand over his. "I'm glad to hear that."

He waited a few minutes to see if she had anything else to say, but he felt her breathing slow and knew that she had fallen asleep. Unfortunately sleep did not come as easily for him. While his first week could be considered a success, he knew that he had a long way to go, that changes could not be made overnight. While press coverage of his first week had not been sensational, he knew the publications like _The Looking Glass_ were expecting him to perform miracles to prove that he was worthy of holding office. Actually, he was sure they were waiting for him to fail spectacularly, to prove their theories of his inferiority correct. He knew he would prove them wrong.

* * *

Wendy had made her weekly trip to the foundation to go through correspondence. Most of it was the usual and she was just reading through it to keep appraised of what was going on. Near the bottom of the stack was a letter that had been opened and returned to its envelope, which was unusual. Most of what she received was already opened and had already been reviewed by Andrew. The outer envelope was addressed to her. Opening the envelope, she saw a second envelope addressed: For Ms. Leah only.

That was highly unusual. She had not gone by Leah for twenty years now and had been quite public during Remus' campaign for Minister using his name instead of Westin. When she tried to open the envelope, she found that she could not. Picking up her wand, she knew that there were very few spells that could have sealed that envelope. She was about to cast the first, when it occurred to her she had no idea what was in the envelope. How did she know she wasn't about to unleash something dangerous? She ran through a myriad of detection spells she had learned as an Auror and found nothing out of the ordinary and finally decided to open the envelope. When she did, there was nothing more than a piece of parchment with the simple note, "Meet me at the Shrieking Shack 1000 on the 24th," in non-descript block letters, clearly meant to disguise the identity of the sender. That was in two days.

She leaned back in her chair wondering if she should go. It seemed rather reckless to meet with an unidentified party in such a secluded location, especially with the baby due in a matter of weeks. She knew exactly what Remus would say: he would forbid her from going unless she agreed to take a couple of Aurors with her. But she knew if she did that, whoever wanted to meet with her would be unlikely to show up. She rubbed her belly as she considered her options. She cast a few spells on the parchment to see if it would give up any secrets and it did not. She ran her hands along the parchment and thought she felt some sort of imprint. She held the document up and looked at it form the side. There was a small raised area. She turned the parchment, trying to catch the shadows. It appeared to be a serpent similar to the one on the Slytherin crest. Now her curiosity was fully piqued. She tucked the letter in her pocket, intending on examining it more closely at home.

After two days, Wendy had been unable to learn anything else from the letter. It was nearing ten o'clock and she hadn't decided whether she would go. Whoever it was definitely didn’t seem to want anyone else aware of their meeting. And whoever it was clearly knew her by their using Leah and a rather obscure spell to seal the envelope. Finally making her decision, she called for her house-elf. "Cappa!"

"Yes, mistress?" Cappa asked obediently.

"I'm going out. If I'm not back by 1030, take this to Master Lupin at the Ministry." She held out an envelope.

"Yes, mistress," Cappa replied as she took the letter from Wendy's hand.

Wendy stood in the foyer, wand at the ready, and Disapparated to the outskirts of Hogsmeade. It was still a little before ten, and she ran through several spells and detected that there were no protective wards on or around the Shrieking Shack. She also didn't detect anyone in the area. As the sky was threatening, she decided to wait inside the Shack. Once inside she cast an anti-Apparition ward to keep whoever was meeting her from arriving anyway other than through the door.

It wasn't long until she felt the anti-Apparition ward activated. She held her wand at the ready, prepared to stun whoever came in through the door. Instead, she nearly dropped her wand. "You're dead!" she said barely louder than a whisper.


	4. Chapter 4

"Obviously not," Severus Snape replied drolly. "I'm surprised you came."

"I highly doubt it. Your letter was sufficiently cryptic that you knew I would come. How are you alive? Harry reported that you died."

"Felix Felicis," he replied simply.

She arched an eyebrow at him. "Is that all the explanation I get?"

"Do you need more?"

She sighed, not really feeling like playing his games this far into her pregnancy. Looking around the room she saw a broken chair, and with a quick flick of her wrist, fixed it, righted it and levitated it so she could sit on it. "While I normally enjoy verbal sparring, I'm not quite in the mood for it today. So why don't you tell me the story of how you are still alive and then you can tell me why you had me meet you here and what you want from me."

He similarly repaired a chair and sat across from her. "Very well. When I realized what was happening, I took Felix Felicis. While I had been faithfully doing Albus Dumbledore's bidding, I came to realize he was not above sacrificing people for his cause, and I had no desire to die. I hoped perhaps that Felix would prevent that. Potter and his friends left this very shack moments before I succumbed to Nagini's poison. In those moments, Fawkes appeared…"

"Fawkes?" Wendy interrupted.

"Dumbledore's phoenix," Severus supplied.

"I know that. It's just that no one saw him after Dumbledore died. He just vanished and everyone speculated he returned to the wild."

"Apparently not completely. As I was saying, Fawkes arrived and healed me. After that he took me… elsewhere."

"Elsewhere?" Wendy asked curiously.

"The details of that are not relevant. It was a place for me to rest and reflect, to decide what I wanted to do with my life."

"You could have just returned. You were exonerated." She was sure the fact he had not revealed himself earlier was why she was here.

"I could have, but to what end? What would I do with myself? I doubt I would have been welcome to return to Hogwarts. And if I had… Well, teaching was something I did out of obligation to Dumbledore."

"So what have you been doing?" she asked curiously.

"Mostly research. I have also been following the news here, trying to determine if I wanted to return."

"And is that why you asked me here, now? You want to return and know that you can go through me to Remus?"

Severus shook his head. "No," he said simply.

"Then what? Why reach out to me for a private meeting?" She pressed her hand against her belly, trying to discourage the baby from stretching out.

"I have been conducting research on the Wolfsbane Potion, on how to improve it more than I already had. Without teaching duties interfering with my research, I believe that I have made significant progress. Unfortunately, I don't have access to any werewolves to test my improvements. You do."

"True. But you do realize that to do so you will have to reveal your survival."

"I was hoping we could find a way around that. Surely you have access to a secure facility where I could observe unnoticed."

"Not really. The research area is at the foundation, though…" her voice drifted off as she considered her options.

"Though what?" Severus prompted.

"I own several unused properties. One of them is a hunting lodge in the Highlands. I'm sure that it could be modified to meet your needs, but you would still require an assistant to deal with those coming to test your modified potion. For what they are volunteering for, I won't have them do something impersonal like follow directions on signs." She thought this was all idiotic that Severus wanted to continue the charade of being dead.

"Perhaps a way can be devised that I could pass instructions to an assistant who would carry them out and leave without interacting with me, returning in the morning to see the needs of my test subject."

Wendy sighed. "Perhaps. Let me think about it."

"What do you have to think about? Surely you of all people want to see the Wolfsbane Potion improved," he said insistently.

She shifted uncomfortably in her seat as the baby continued its gymnastics. "I do. It's just I'm not sure about your conditions. It really would be best if you would just come out in the open."

"I prefer the life of solitude I have now."

"What if I could guarantee the confidentiality of the assistant? Would that make a difference?"

He arched an eyebrow at her. "I somehow doubt you could find someone willing to keep this secret."

She was quiet for a few moments. "I might know just the person."

"Are you sure?"

"You trusted me enough to send me a letter. Trust me on this one." She checked her watch and rose to her feet. "Let me take you to the hunting lodge, and you can see if it meets your needs." She stepped beside him and took hold of his arm. Before Disapparating, she brought down the ward she had erected.

When they arrived, Severus looked around, seeing nothing, and said, "Well? Is this the right place?"

"Give me a moment," Wendy said. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and cast a series of complex spells. As she did, a Victorian-era hunting lodge shimmered into existence and finally solidified. She could feel herself losing her balance and was thankful when Severus caught her. "Thank you," she said softly.

"Impressive," he said.

"It's actually fairly modest," Wended replied.

"Not that. That magic that concealed it."

"There was also a preservation spell that means it should be completely livable. I was quite impressed when I was shown the spells for the first time. Thankfully my library had information about it so that I was able to figure out how to set and reverse them. Many of the Westin properties are concealed with these sorts of spells to keep the curious out of them. Muggle repelling is fairly simple, but repelling curious wizards is a bit more difficult." She walked up to the door and opened it. "Now, you will likely prefer the cellar for what you need to do. It is accessed through the kitchen." She led him to the kitchen in the back left corner of the house. "You can also reach it from outside, but this is more convenient. Here we are," she said as she indicated a door just to the left of the entrance of the kitchen. "Lumos," she said as she opened the door and the lamps sprang to life.

Once in the cellar, she gave Severus time to explore.

"I think this could work. Some modifications will have to be made but the store rooms would work and there is plenty of room to set up a research laboratory."

"There are eight suites upstairs for you to choose from." She glanced at her watch and realized she was nearly out of time. "Cappa!" she called out, knowing the elf would arrive shortly.

"Yes, Mistress?" Cappa said when she arrived. "Does mistress need Cappa to prepare the hunting lodge?"

"No. I just wanted to let you know you need not worry about giving the letter to Master Lupin. And you are not to mention Mr. Snape to him either."

Cappa lowered her ears slightly, and replied, "Yes, Mistress."

"Thank you, Cappa. I'll be home shortly."

Once the elf was gone, Severus asked, "Letter?"

"I told Cappa if I wasn't back by 1030 to deliver a letter to Remus that would explain what I had done and where I had gone and to send help."

"I'm surprised you made the interval that long."

"I wasn't sure if whoever I was meeting would be on time." She turned to go upstairs and led him to the sitting room before conjuring tea and pouring out. "Now, I need you to give me some more details. I need you to tell me what you want?"

"Privacy, obviously," he stated simply.

"Of course, though you do realize that having me keep this secret is a very big favor to ask seeing as Remus is now Minister for Magic." She knew this would become a huge point of contention if Remus were to learn about their arrangement.

"I would really rather he not know. I don't want to burden him with that secret."

While she understood his reasoning, she did not agree with it. "Why come to me now? Why not a year ago?"

"I wasn’t ready. I wasn't ready for anyone to know I was alive. I wasn't at a point in my research where I felt I had made significant progress. Now I am. But I still don't want anyone to know that I'm alive." He paused and sipped his tea. "I will admit the prize money you have offered is quite an incentive. Fifty thousand galleons would go quite far."

"Imagine if you were to earn the five hundred thousand?" she intimated.

"Something tells me you won't have to worry about parting with that money," he said wryly.

"You don't think a cure is possible?"

"I believe it is highly improbable. But I believe I have found substantial improvements in the potion. Which of course will need to be tested."

"Of course. You do realize that improvements have been made. We have found a way reduce recovery time so that there is very little impact on a person's life. In order to be eligible, your improvements would have to be better than what we have now."

"I believe they should be," he said confidently.

"Well, then, I look forward to it, though I fear that you have chosen a rather inconvenient time. With the baby due in a couple of weeks, I won't really be able to get things arranged for you. Let me see about bringing your assistant by tomorrow, Monday at the latest. Then that person will be able to take care of making arrangements for the supplies you need. I assume you can move your possessions on your own?"

"I haven't even said I'll be staying here."

This was not a point worth arguing about. "Suit yourself. You can stay if you like or just use it as research facilities. Let me change the warding so you can come and go." She rose to her feet and waved her wand in a complicated manner. "Should I assume you have the needed funds, or are you looking for some sort of loan?"

"For now I am self-sufficient. And the prize money should ensure it remains that way."

"We'll see. And you do realize that there will be questions about the mysterious, anonymous researcher."

"Which I'm sure you can spin in a non-ominous way."

"Possibly. Think about it, though. Living a life in hiding isn't living a life. I'll see you tomorrow or Monday." With that Wendy returned home and checked on the twins before having lunch. She had intended on going to the foundation to see about finding an assistant for Severus, but she was utterly exhausted and fell fast asleep on the sofa. When she woke, it was nearly three. She decided there was still time to head into the foundation before Remus got home. After quickly checking on April and the twins, she left for the foundation.

Rather than going to her office, she headed to the research area, almost positive that she would find who she was looking for. She finally found who she was looking for in the storage area. "Miss Granger, do you have a moment?"

Hermione put back the jar she had been examining. "Of course, Mrs. Lupin."

Wendy led Hermione back to her office where they would be guaranteed privacy. "Please, have a seat," Wendy said, gesturing to the sofa. Wendy took one of the wing chairs facing the sofa. "I've asked you here because I would like to reassign you…"

Hermione nervously cut her off, "Has Mr. Dugger complained about me? I know I can be a bit exuberant…"

Wendy raised her hand to silence Hermione. "This is not based on anything Mr. Dugger has said. This is based on what I know of you, your ability to keep a secret. You can keep a secret, can't you?"

"Of course I can. I've been very tight lipped about the research here," Hermione offered.

"This is different. I need to know that you can keep a serious secret," Wendy said seriously.

"I figured out that Mr. Lupin was a werewolf early in his time teaching at Hogwarts and I didn’t tell anyone," Hermione offered.

"That's what Remus told me. That's why I'm having this discussion with you. What I am about to tell you is something that you can tell no one. Are you comfortable having this sort of secret?"

"You mean no one, right?"

Wendy replied seriously, "Absolutely no one. Can you do it?"

Hermione was quiet for about thirty seconds. "This is a better opportunity than I have now?" she asked.

"I think so," Wendy said simply.

"Okay. I'm in," Hermione said simply.

Wendy smiled. "Excellent." She paused a moment before continuing. "I have been contacted by a researcher who feels that he is very close to a major improvement to the Wolfsbane potion. He wishes to remain anonymous, and so he needs and assistant who will be the liaison with those being treated. I know that you are very good at keeping secrets and that you are excellent with potions, so I think that you will make a good assistant for him. Why don't you meet me here at ten o'clock tomorrow morning, and I'll take you to meet this new researcher?" Wendy had considered telling Hermione who they would be meeting, but she felt that news would not be received as factual and had decided to wait.

"Alright. I'll meet you here tomorrow morning. But that's all the information I get?" Hermione asked, clearly hoping to learn more about who her new mentor would be.

"For now. I know you want to know more, but I'm not the person to explain it to you. You'll learn the rest tomorrow morning. But this is something you can never discuss with anyone other than me. Not Harry. Not Ron. Not Remus."

"I understand," said Hermione solemnly.

"Very well. Then meet me here tomorrow at ten."

"I'll be here," Hermione said. She then rose to her feet, smiled and then walked out of Wendy's office.

Wendy wasn't sure how this would work out, but she knew that Hermione was the one person working with the foundation that she could count on to keep this secret.

* * *

When Wendy returned home, she headed up to the nursery and spend time with the children. She knew she would have less time for them once the baby was born, and now she had this added burden. She longed to tell Remus, but Severus had been adamant that no one else know he was still alive. It was something Wendy didn’t understand since it was not like he traveled in social circles before he was declared dead and his reputation had been restored including being exonerated for Albus Dumbledore’s death. There was nothing to be done about it for now and she pushed it from her mind, determined to have an enjoyable evening.

When Remus got home, he asked, “How was your day?” before kissing her softly on the cheek. 

“Pretty uneventful,” Wendy replied. “There may be some progress on the Wolfsbane Potion, but we’ll have to wait until after the next full moon.” Wendy knew there was just enough time to get Severus’ revised potion to trial candidates before the upcoming full moon.

“That’s good to hear. Normally I would volunteer…” he offered.

“I know you would, as do the others, but you are right, we can’t have the Minister for Magic taking untested potions, as safe as we believe them to be.”

“And how are you?” he asked as he took in her tired appearance.

“Hanging in there. We still have three weeks to go.”

“The twins were early,” he rebutted.

“True, but twins tend to come early. Don’t worry. I’m taking care of myself.”

“I know. I just worry because I don’t have as much latitude as I did before.”

“Remus, you are the Minister for Magic. If you need to change your schedule, you just change it. Everyone will have to adjust to you,” she instructed.

He sighed and leaned back in his chair. “I know that, but actually doing it is difficult as there is just so much to get done.”

“And it won’t all get done in a matter of a few weeks. Some of your ideas will take quite some time to fully implement. And I’m sure you have already started the ball rolling on many.”

“I have. And I know you can’t get everything done with the flick of a wand. It took them almost a year to finish rebuilding Hogwarts. I’m just tired of all the empty storefronts, tired of people still looking for permanent work. In a way I have felt a bit guilty about how we found employment for so many lycanthropes when so many others lost everything and still need help.”

“Well, Kingsley had bigger problems. And that’s why you were elected, because you had a plan, but again, it’s not like you can instantly open shops or find jobs for people, but you are putting everything in motion to see job creation climb. That’s all you can do. We had financial resources at the foundation that other people have not had access to. And it will have to come slowly from the Ministry because there is not a limitless pile of galleons to pull from.”

“And you have a limitless pile?” Remus asked pointedly.

Wendy laughed. “No, not limitless, but enough for what we needed, and some of the loans are being repaid now, which provides funds for others.”

“You still haven’t told me what this has cost you personally.”

“I know. Don’t worry, I’m not emptying my vault in this endeavor. It’s why the financial help has been measured. I’ve saved a lot of money over the years by living a relatively simple life. It’s nice to finally see it doing some good.” She looked away from him, knowing that she had been part of the wizarding world that had persecuted werewolves over the years. In essence, she was paying them the reparation they were owed.

“You feel guilty, don't you?” he asked as though he could read her mind.

“I do. I was wrong. They were wrong as well, but through no fault of their own. Lacking support, a means of living, well… I was more wrong,” she admitted morosely.

He knelt beside her and wrapped his arm around her. “That was you in the past. You have become a changed person, a better person.”

She placed her hand on his cheek. “Thanks to you.” She then gave him a soft kiss. “Why don’t we get them fed before we have our own dinner? April can see to their bath.”

“Marvelous idea.”

* * *

Wendy was not surprised when Hermione arrived at her office precisely on time. She had a satchel over her shoulder. “So, where are we going?” Hermione asked.

“The Highlands. I’ll Apparate you there, and you should be able to return on your own. I’m working on getting the Floo set up so that it will be easier for your trial participants to come and go, though they will only need to go there on the full moon night. You can see to the potion distribution from here as we normally do.”

“Okay,” Hermione replied tentatively. Like most witches and wizards capable of Apparition, she wasn’t a fan of side-along.

Wendy took hold of Hermione’s arm and Apparated them to the front lawn. “Here we are. It’s my hunting lodge that hasn’t been used in ages. It seemed appropriate since it’s well secluded and has storerooms perfect for containment.” Wendy led Hermione into the lodge and gestured to a room on the right. “If you will wait in the drawing room, I’ll be back shortly.”

Wendy assumed that Severus would be setting up his equipment in the cellar. When she opened the cellar door, she could hear him doing just that. Rather than descend the stairs, she called down, “Severus? Can you join me upstairs? I have your assistant.”

“Excellent, I can use some help,” he replied. Once he was climbing the stairs, he asked, “You are sure you can trust this person to keep my secret?”

“Absolutely. No one other than her and me will know that you are alive until you tell me otherwise.” She turned and walked back to the drawing room, leaving Severus to follow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up to everyone that I thought this story was complete before I started posting, and then I had a couple of ideas to tie up 'loose ends' from 'Werewolves and Serpents', so it will likely have 7 chapters and 6 and 7 may be delayed a little from posting every other day depending on how cooperative the 4 year old is in letting me have 5 minutes to myself to compose a coherent train of thought. LOL
> 
> Also, for a more detailed look at how Severus survived, I highly recommend reading my story 'Felix Felicis'. It's a very plausible look at what should have happened to Severus with Felix cast as it's own character and it has now become my personal head cannon.


End file.
